SPAx 2017 Enhances Engineering Students’ Professional Awareness

Gonzaga’s chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) hosted its first IEEE SPAx event this month. SPAx stands for Student Professional Awareness Experience. SPAx was designed by IEEE-USA to enhance the leadership, career, and professional development skills of engineering students.
Seven industry professionals were invited to Gonzaga on April 22, 2017 to engage in student lead small group discussions.
Among the invited were:
• Greg Rzepka, Director Power Systems at SEL
• Stephen Heath, VP of Security Systems at Intrinium
• George Moore, Fellow from Keysight Technologies
• Bob Conley, President and CEO of Eigen Wireless
• Lee Steensland, Principal Engineer from F5
• Lynn Vershum, Controls Engineer from Alliance Machine Systems
• Calvin Howard, Protection Systems Engineer from AVISTA
Over 40 students attended, with each small group containing 5-7 students. The students had the opportunity to speak with the professionals regarding career path and progression, intricacies of their daily work, and learn about the different fields each professional represented. The disciplines included Controls, Communications, Computer Science, Digital Systems, Electronics, Electromagnetism and Power Systems.
The event also included a keynote presentation from Chuck Frandrup, retired Engineering Director, Pend Oreille Public Utility District, and a catered dinner.